How GF friendly is France?

I have a friend in Paris who is gluten free whom I am having for dinner this weekend and I am staying in Batignolles and checked out several grocery stores today hoping to find gluten free crackers without success. When we stay in the 13th there is a bio store on Tolbiac which does have a few GF things and one of the grocery stores -- a small Carrefour has a GF section -- and so I was surprised how difficult it is here. We once found a bakery with GF bread, but again not easy. I hope someone will come on here with some suggestions. I will try Rue Levis in my quest tomorrow.

I can cook GF -- having rabbit in mustard sauce with a recipe that involves no flour for thickeniing of the sauce but want to have crackers or bread she can use with cheese that are safe for her.

I know there is GF to be found but, since I'm not GF, I haven't made note of where exactly. I do know many grocery stores have GF sections (ours has a pretty big section) and some (not a lot but some) bakeries around us offer GF selection. I've also, on occassion, seen GF options on menus at restaurants. So, I would imagine if it's around Bordeaux, you should be able to find it by Paris. I would look at The Fork app and search for GF options as a place to start.

The best chance to find GF breads and products in bakeries is in organic bakeries.

I found one in Bayeux:

Le Fournil de Saint-Loup - Litzellmann

3 Rue Saint-Loup

https://maps.app.goo.gl/jcuLjPZkctdk4cEv8

For all other GF food products, you'll generally find them in organic stores.

Look for "Bio" stores.

In the Batignolles area in Paris, Boulangerie Chambelland - Batignolles, at 43 Rue Brochant, is a bakery with GF products.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/YdoFPZGkSTftyW1a9

PS: The recipe for rabbit in mustard sauce doesn't require flour; it's the crème fraîche that thickens the sauce. To thicken a sauce, you can replace the flour with "Maizena" which is 100% gluten-free.

The Real Emily in Paris eats gluten free and has blogged about it, including places she's eaten. You might check her posts.

You might like to look at Wheatless Wanderlust. He has a post on where to find gluten products and restaurants in Paris. He also has a post on general Europe.

Chambelland is an excellent gluten free bakery in Paris (11th) and I’m sure there are others. Restaurants will usually have some options or the ability to make adjustments, and a creperie bretonne (Breizh Café is highly regarded but I haven’t been yet) can always be relied on to have buckwheat crepes.

I can recommend Breizh Cafe for delicious savory crepes. Buckwheat flour is traditional for the crepes, but I don't know if they add some wheat flour for a smoother crepe. (Probably not.) There are several in Paris and the dishes are yummy. They are reasonably priced meals, popular with the locals (from my experience). Bon appetit!

To Janet and JoLui, Thanks for the rabbit idea! Now I have to find a source for some rabbit. I will have to go a bit far afield from my house to find it. The creme fraiche in the mustard (Dijon?) sauce sounds nice. Yum

I checked menus for a couple of Breizh Café locations (there are a dozen or so in Paris alone) and both have explicitly labelled gf selections (galettes — buckwheat) as well as crepes (wheat).

https://www.breizhcafe.com

I will second the website wheatlesswanderlust.com, he reviews 100% gluten free establishments. A helpful app I use is 'Find Me Gluten Free'. When you are looking at restaurants and menus you like, save them on a dedicated google map with any notes about the menu. You can also search you-tube videos as there are a few travel bloggers who review gluten free restaurants and bakeries. On trip advisor you can search restaurants and select gluten free options. That is a little hit or miss on if they have extensive gluten free items on their menu, but it's still a good resource. I usually go to the reviews and search the word 'gluten' to narrow down the reviews. There are places available in Giverny and Bayeux too. I'm leaving for France tomorrow for a couple weeks, so I just went through the process of creating my dining options map. We are spending 1 week throughout Normandy and the second week in Paris. I will try to report back!

While I'm not someone who requires food sans gluten, I met up with some friends last month in Paris and their daughter has issues with it. However, we found that while she could overdo it, most products like bread, crepes, etc. posed no problems in moderation. We have pretty much put it down to the differences in flours and other materials, which in the EU are not the same as those used commercially in the USA.

Thanks everyone! I am encouraged!

janettravels44, Thank you for your response, your rabbit in mustard sauce recipe sounds delicious! I realize bread with meals is essential in French cuisine, if you cannot find her a GF baguette, perhaps your friend might like rice or potatoes instead. I have a difficult time finding GF crackers in the US too, depending on the state. I will probably bring a small package with me for my flight and emergencies.

KimberlySEA, Great idea about using the Fork app! I haven’t tried that one yet.

JoLui, Thank you for the organic Bayeux bakery. I will check it out when we are staying there. And thanks for the tip on “bio stores” I have never heard of that, grateful to know that.

Janet, Thank you! I will check out The Real Emily in Paris.

gord.smoker and khsdc, Thank you for the reminder about Wheatless Wanderlust. I forgot about them! I used them on a trip to BC Canada, they’re great for GF and also lots of good travel advise. I looked and they have a complete guide updated in 2025. I will get into it!

khsdc, Have a great trip!

Siesta, Chambelland GF bakery is on my must do list now! Thanks!

Judy, Breizh Café is also now on my must do list, thank you. I went to their website and it looks lovely. I am so looking forward to galettes. Buckwheat is GF!

KGC, I have heard this too! I have read that the wheat used in Europe is often soft winter wheat. It may also have something to do with the different processing methods in France. I would imagine they don’t use as many additives like dough conditioners and preservatives to extend the shelf life as in the US. I would not try eating it if I was diagnosed celiac. I may have an occasional bite here and there.

I was very confused by the thread title. Why would anyone think the world capital of romance, Paris, would NOT be girlfriend-friendly?

I'll see myself out.

I know someone who eats gluten-free in North America but insists the European flour goes down fine. I'm skeptical but if you're willing to risk a reaction you could give it a try.

My question is, if non-celiac gluten sensitivity really is mainly a North American thing, how can a city such as Paris support so many gluten-free bakeries? (Google tells me there are around 20.) Celiac disease is pretty rare, surely these establishments can't all survive on tourists and/or rich people on fad diets? GF bakeries are more expensive than regular bakeries, and rarely as good. It's great to find a good one but it still isn't the kind of place you shop if you don't need to (IMO).

Non-celiac gluten sensitivity is a fairly controversial topic in the medical community, although knowledgeable doctors acknowledge that some people actually have it. People who have irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), very common in the population, may also benefit from low gluten diets. Perhaps European food availability is sufficiently protective to persons with IBS that the added benefits of reducing gluten become less important.

People with celiac disease MUST avoid gluten, in Europe and elsewhere. People with apparent non-celiac gluten sensitivity might find for whatever reason that traveling to other places provides them with dietary options that moderate the effects of gluten.

I have celiac disease, diagnosed over 20 years ago before being GF was the "thing." I've traveled to Europe more than a dozen times in the past decade, hitting somewhere in France probably half of those trips. I am not super high maintenance when it comes to insisting on equivalent GF food to what "normal" people are eating, but I have never had difficulty finding acceptable food to eat in any restaurant in all my travels. Now... France is one place where the food is prepared the way it's prepared and they aren't going to make substitutions or accommodations to make something GF. We went to a place that specialized in burgers and I was asking, "can you make mine with no bun..." etc., and the response was, "just get the steak." So I did and it was great. I've also had some nice surprises, where they had lovely GF bread or pasta or whatever. But I never go in expecting that. I've eaten a LOT of steak frites. :)

jphbucks LOL! :-)

Seista,
to your question re: non-celiac gluten sensitivity being mainly a North American thing, I don't believe it actually is. I think as jphbucks mentioned some with IBS get relief from not eating gluten. I understand that many people think eating a GF diet is fad, but for people (like me) who don't know whether they have celiac or not, we just know we don't feel good when we eat it. I suffer from auto immune disorder with inflammation but never was able to get Dx due to my not getting tested while still eating wheat. I am just grateful to hear that there will be GF options there like your recommendations. I cannot wait to try the galettes!

Cheers!

A Holmes, I strongly recommend you do full testing to verify that you do not have actual celiac disease. The public commonly thinks of it as relating only to gluten, but the disease has other long term effects that you should know about and protect yourself accordingly.

A Holmes, to be clear I don't believe it's a North American thing either.

All the convincing I need is in the wide availability of gluten-free specialty products in the UK, France, Italy, Switzerland and more. If you're ever in the UK, I suggest you go to Marks & Spencer and buy a suitcaseful of goodies. We were even able to find excellent GF fish & chips, right down to GF beer in the batter, at a pub in Bath.

What puzzles me is that a few North Americans claim to have a sensitivity but also claim they don't suffer from it when in Europe. It doesn't add up IMO but maybe mild sensitivities aren't triggered by eating the different flours, long-fermented breads etc.

My question is, if non-celiac gluten sensitivity really is mainly a North American thing, how can a city such as Paris support so many gluten-free bakeries? (Google tells me there are around 20.) Celiac disease is pretty rare

I believe that it's a trend followed by a lot of people who don't actually know what the primary reason is for some people avoiding gluten. I recall a survey conducted on a number of people who avoided gluten and the majority did not suffer with coeliac disease but believed that eating gluten free was healthy based on a variety of reasons.

This rise in people choosing to eschew gluten has resulted in the proliferation of gluten free products in supermarkets and restaurants which has had a very positive impact on those who genuinely do need to avoid gluten.

I agree that some North Americans claim to have a sensitivity but say they don't suffer intolerance in Europe. I have talked to some people who say this. I suspect there are other factors in the production of glutenous products in our food system, that contribute to peoples issues with wheat. Production time may not allow for long-fermented bread, US farming uses lots of pesticide and roundup on crops, GMO and extremely hybridized wheat, extra gluten additive, dough conditioners, etc. that could be the real cause of their sensitivities. I have a friend who has a bad reaction to GF products and something in them causes her stomach issues. Lucky for her she doesn't have celiac. I guess everyone can find something that makes their stomach hurt! Most people I talk to are stunned that I have followed this diet for 16 years without having a proper blood work diagnosis. My family members even press me to cheat sometimes. It is not the easiest diet to follow but I find it helps me stay healthy.

I am so excited to eat GF fish & chips! From what I gather Europe is going to be much easier for me to dine than I had expected.